Michigan Attorney General

ADA, MICHIGAN -- As a consumer from your state, I felt it was my responsibility to bring to your attention the following incident.

I am writing to inform you of a dispute between myself and Dell Financial Services over the amount charged for my new computer system.

12/19/04 â I purchased the equipment online late in the evening. During the checkout process, I received a Pop-up message from Dell to receive an additional 10% off by going through Dell Financial Services. In the interest of saving money, I clicked the Quick Lease option. I thought I was getting 60 days same as cash, using the âQuick leaseâ option. My invoice total at checkout was $1905.12.
12/23/04 â My new computer arrived with NO invoice in the boxes.
1/11/05 â DFS invoiced me. I received said invoice within approximately 5 days. [I do not recall the exact date that I received it]
2/4/05 â I finally had a few minutes to call Dell to go over the incorrectly billed invoice. I talked to 3-5 people between Dell.com and Dell Financial Services. I was told on 2/4 that it was too late, that I had âsignedâ [clicked] a lease agreement and that my 21 days to cancel the order had already expired. I spoke with a Customer Service Manager at Dell.com who expressed concern and was going to issue a credit of $150.00 within 30 days. The info regarding the credit is:
case #092459890 & DPS#054205406. (As of 2/24/05, no credit has been posted.)
2/7/05 â I called Dell.com and Dell Financial Services again and spoke with a number of people regarding the error. The people on the phone at DFS were rude and said that I had clicked on the lease agreement and that it was TOO LATE. They said that I would have to pay 48 months worth of lease payments, a 3% early payoff penalty, and a Fair Market Value amount. At this point, I was in tears and all I wanted to do was pay my account off within the 60days to save some extra cash. Unfortunately, I ended up having to pay $2,791.32 in an effort to pay the account off within the 60 days.
2/10/05 â Dell Financial Services applied my payment from 2/7 for $2,791.32.
2/12/05 â I received a copy of the lease agreement (I requested from DFS on 2/7/05).
2/13/05 â I notified Dell Financial Services of my error with the lease (wanting 60 days same as cash) and my frustration via a form on their website. (As of 2/24/05, I have had NO response from Dell Financial Services regarding the issues.)
2/16/05 â I called Dell.com and DFS once again to see if I could get a credit for the $886.20 in finance charges and early payoff fees. I spoke with another 3-5 people and No luck. I also found out that most [if not all] of the customer âserviceâ reps were NOT employed by Dell or Dell Financial Services at all but were global call centers âansweringâ the phone as Dell and DFS.

Please know the following:
1. I would not have paid off my computer within 60 days had I wanted to lease the computer for a long period of time [48 months].
2. If I had known that I had agreed [incorrectly] to a 48-month lease and that I had 21 days to cancel, I would have cancelled the order within the 21-day period.
3. If I had known that clicking on the pop-up to âSaveâ 10% was going to cost me $886.20 and a great deal of grief [on my vacation] I would have paid by credit card in the first place.
4. One last thing, there are line items in my original order acknowledgement that state Rebates of $220.00 after mailing in the rebate form. [I did not receive rebate forms that I could mail in] Also, the line items totals were not displayed, only the comment about a rebate, so I could not tell if the rebate had been applied or not.] I now see that I had 30 days to go to dell.com for the rebate slips in order to get a credit for that $220.00 worth of rebates. I did not find that information out until today, 2/24/05. I am well past the 30 days so no rebates from Dell. I know that when I purchase an item from a local store, they are required to provide me with a receipt so I can submit the rebate in a timely fashion. Are online retailers not required to provide receipts for rebates along with the details of how to get the cash back?
2/22/05 â I sent an email to james_lindke@Dell.com regarding the issues I have had with this purchase. James said that he would see what he could do. No word yet of any relief.

I have 2 other pieces of equipment from Dell.com which I purchased online and paid for with my WorldPerks Visa. Never before had I gone through Dell Financial services nor will I again.
In the years that I have been a WorldPerks Card holder, I have never complained about a charge that I had on my bill. Unfortunately, this amount is too much money for me to lose so I am forced to notify you regarding this issue.
It now seems that I made a mistake during my checkout process and I should have scoured the Order Acknowledgement when I received it from Dell. Unfortunately, my past experiences with Dell and my busy schedule did not force me to review the documents with a fine tooth comb.

As a resolution, I would like the following:

I would like to see a credit of the $886.20 to my credit card from Dell Financial Services to repair my relationship with Dell. If you can get a resolution, that would be great.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration of this matter. I look forward to hearing from you regarding the outcome.

Please contact me if you need more details regarding this incident.

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American express customer harassment

Posted by WESLUTHER on 10/21/2007

ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN -- As a consumer from your state, I felt it was my responsibility to bring to your attention the following incident.

After having kept my gold rewards card in good standing, paying my bills on time etc. security started a review on my account for 'security concerns' I had to send in copies of my social security card, notarized signature, check stubs, truck bill, diploma,bank contact info, employer contact info and draft card. They would not discuss with me what the security concerns were because they were not satisfied even after all this that I am in fact me. I received a letter from them stating. 'the reason for our decision to cancel your account is: You did not provide the banking information, financial statements, income tax return, and/or identification documents requested. Our cancellation of your account under these circumstances may result in negative reporting of this account to the consumer reporting agencies.' At no point did they say there was a question about my financial resources they just kept telling me that I had not proven my identity to their satisfaction. The nearly 14000 reward points that I had earned have disappeared, and now it seems that they are threatening my credit rating. as I said I paid on time every time and they did not ask for any further bank info or financial statements or income tax returns.

As a resolution, I would like the following:

I want my rewards points back and I want them restrained from putting false negative information on my credit file.

Please contact me if you need more details regarding this incident.

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fraudulent use of credit card by hotel clerk

Posted on 09/03/2003

MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN -- As a consumer from your state, I felt it was my responsibility to bring to your attention the following incident.

My cousins and I stayed at Muskegon Harbor Holiday Inn, on the weekend of July 18th, 2003. We used my cousins credit card (Julie Slusser) to reserve the room but when we checked out we all pitched in our share and paid cash. The credit card should never have been used. The clerk did not give us a receipt and we didn't think to ask for one.

A month later my cousin got the charge card bill and the full amount ($310.00) of our stay was charged on the bill.
My cousin contacted the general manager of the hotel and was told 'If you don't have a receipt there's nothing I can do.' He wouldn't even look into the matter or question the clerk.

My cousin also contacted the corporate office of Holiday Inn and made a complaint and after being promised that it would be taken care of she was later told the same thing 'without a receipt there is nothing we can do'.
It is obvious that this clerk purposely did not give us a receipt and then charged the credit card to cover her deception.

We are all hard working family women and rarely get a vacation for ourselves. Now it will be quite awhile before we get another vacation since we had to pay for the trip twice.

Please look into this matter for us, as I am sure that if the clerk got away with this with one customer she has or will do it again. Thank you,

As a resolution, I would like the following:

We want the credit card to be credited for the full amount.

Please contact me if you need more details regarding this incident.

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Verizon Wireless

Posted by MacysNorth on //

LIVONIA, MICHIGAN -- As a consumer from your state, I felt it was my responsibility to bring to your attention the following incident.

(LETTERS I WROTE ABOUT VERIZON WIRELESS)

For six months I've waited for the month of December to come when my contract would be over. Ever since my bill started showing $100 and I couldn't get an understandable reason for I've been counting the months of getting away from Verizon. This scheme of entrapment should be made illegal. My phone bill goes up so I ask to have it lowered but then my contact extends. Then it happens all over again. As long as you keep making your customers need to change their plan you take advantage and extend the contract. I was never told my contact was going to extend the last time I had to change my plan. In fact I made sure it wasn't by telling the Verizon associate it better not, and she did it anyway. (12/05/2007)

My contract was due to expire last December, but instead I was deceived in changing my plan in August 2007 in order to afford my phone. I was never told it would extend my contract. As for a letter being sent of the change; I have no idea of a letter being sent. I found this out when I called to confirm that my contract was over and I can find another phone company that I can afford.

The Verizon associate talked me into giving your company another chance. My last bill was $33 but today I looked online and I find my bill is $118. What the hell is going on? Over a hundred dollars. This is the way Verizon is going to convince me to stay? There is no way in hell my bill should be worse than ever. I can’t afford to pay that. Verizon better believe I am taking this to the BBB, consumer affairs and beyond.
(1/20/2008)

As a resolution, I would like the following:

I want out of this contract trap without costing me an outrageous amount of money.

Please contact me if you need more details regarding this incident.

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Cellular One Contract

Posted by Digger on 04/14/2005

As a consumer from your state, I felt it was my responsibility to bring to your attention the following incident.

This company kept turning my cell phone off even before my bill was due. They wanted to charge me $25.00 to restore service and eventually waived the fee each time this happened. To stop any future problems I gave them my credit card for automatic payments. That didn't work either. I would get calls stating my bill wasn't paid and my phone again was unusable. The last collection call resulted in me telling them to discontinue my service since I was tired of paying for service that I couldn't get. This has resulted in them threatening: lawsuit for breach of contract, turning me in to the IRS, attaching property, garnishment of wages, seizing bank accounts, and talking to their processor server and attorney, rolled up in one, evidently, who told me to 'Pay Up Cowboy'!
Their company is a multi-million dollar corporation and does not make mistakes is the answer that I get when trying to talk to them. They have even been unable to find my account to be able to discuss it with me when I have called.
Besides, I was told this new phone was digital and my signal would be much stronger, and they were putting up a new tower within six months in my area. That phone was worse! The tower still isn't built and it's been about two years.
I feel they are the one who broke the contract initially. They got the money, I didn't get what I paid for.
Their billing practices are horrible. For about eighteen months in a row I was overcharged on my bills. They would eventually fix the problems, but it took more of my time.

As a resolution, I would like the following:

A letter stating that they no longer have an issue with me and will stop misrepresenting their product to the public.

Please contact me if you need more details regarding this incident.

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Intimate Glow - On line company a scam or not?

Posted by Kelly on 06/25/2003

MT. AIRY, MARYLAND -- As a consumer from your state, I felt it was my responsibility to bring to your attention the following incident.

I placed an order with an online company called Intimate Glow. I had received an email about their product and I decided to try it. I thought that I was going to get a free sample of their product for $5.95 (shipping charge) and I would then start receiving their product if I did not cancel. I still have not received the product but the company has charged my credit card At that point I looked at my credit card $45.90. I've not even received the sample nor did they charge me the trial sample amount, but have already signed me up for the product and charged my account, hence causing an overdraft on my account. I no longer want their product and I have emailed the company (of course now the customer service contact is only by email) with no returned response. Their ad says they have good customer service and will respond to emails within a specific time period, however I still have not heard back from them. And to make matters worse, I received same ad from them, AFTER I had sent the emails to them trying to cancel.

As a resolution, I would like the following:

I would like the charge of $45.90 credited back to my account and if not completed within 48 hours, I'd like them to reimburse me the 39.00 (plus any additional fees I get charged during the time it takes them to complete the credit) bank fee that was charged me due to the overcharge on their part!

I actually saw another posting saying the same thing about this company, only they charged the person twice!!! I'm concerned that this may be a scam and that this company will keep charging my (and other unsuspecting souls)account(s)! I've contacted my bank, but don't know yet if they can help or not.
Please contact me if you need more details regarding this incident.

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Landlord-Tenant Law

Posted on 02/10/2002

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN -- As a honest consumer from your state, I felt it was my responsibility to bring to your attention the following incident.

I am a single parent who has rented a townhouse in Grand Rapids, MI for over five years. I have never had a problem until Brookline Management took over the property almost two years ago. Since they took over, the residents are unable to get repairs and the townhouses do not meet code. They are charging us for a third bedroom that doesn't meet code. The law seems to protect these landlords, because they can hold out until the tenants lease ends and then choose to not renew the lease and this is LEGAL. Therefore, all landlords do not have to make any repairs, just hold hold and then evict a tenant based on this. This is WRONG! Please do something soon, or my children and I will lose our home. I have supplied them with a list of needed repairs in January of 2001. By November of 2001, after several calls and visits to the office on the property, nothing was done. I choose to withhold my rent and started writing the Regional Manager as well as company. They still did not complete the repairs and just waited until my lease endend in February, and said they just wouldn't renew my lease. There are over 30 tenants in this property who have signed a petition regarding the lack of repairs since Brookline has taken over. We have been good tenants with no complaints while maintaining our home and surrounding land. They had no issue with renewing my lease before, but now that I'm taking action to make my house a home again and have repairs completed and codes met, it has become an issue. This is my children's home, and will uproot them from their home, friends and family. How can the law support this?

As a resolution, I would like the following:

I want this company to not be allowed to illegally retaliate against me and my children. The repairs should be completed, my home brought to code, my legal fees reimbursed, any repairs fees I have endured reimbursed, to be charged for the habitable space only, to be reimbursed for the time spent away from my job to get things done, and for this company to be monitored for this illegal, immoral and irresponsibly activity.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like more details regarding this incident.

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the selling of property for back taxes when taxes were already paid.

Posted on 08/10/2003

WEST BRANCH, MICHIGAN -- As a consumer from your state, I felt it was my responsibility to bring to your attention the following incident.

Owners of Ambrose Beach subdivision, had been paying taxes for lakefront property and in 2001, we all received a letter of redefined lakefront taxes and the property was sold for back taxes in 1999 and everyone paid taxes on the property until 2001.

As a resolution, I would like the following:

I would like this matter straightened out as this is hurting the value of our property and we feel we should be the rightful owners of the property.

Please contact me if you need more details regarding this incident.

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an online company

Posted on 06/05/2003

BAY CITY, MICHIGAN -- As a consumer from your state, I felt it was my responsibility to bring to your attention the following incident.

I placed an order with an online company called Intimate Glow. I had received an email about their product and I decieded to try it. I thought that I was going to get a free sample of their product for $5.95 cents and I would then start receiving their product if I did not cancel. It took over four weeks to receive the sample and within two weeks I received another package of their product. At that point I looked at my credit card statement to see if I had been charged already. I found I had been charged $45.90 on twice within one month and there was NO charge for the $5.95 that I thought I would have on my credit card. I do not want their product and I have emailed the company three times regarding this with NO response. I realized I was signing up for more than the free sample but I didn't have time to try the product before I was charged $91.80. Their ad says they have good customer service and will respond to emails with 72 hours, which they did not. And to make matters worse, I received same ad from them, AFTER I had sent the emails to them trying to cancel. I am going to have to cancel my current credit card to prevent them from taking more money from my account.

As a resolution, I would like the following:

I would like the two charges of $45.90 removed from my credit card and adjusted to $5.95.

Please contact me if you need more details regarding this incident.

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Cell Phone Scam

Posted by Marie on 06/25/2002

COLDWATER, MICHIGAN -- As a honest consumer from your state, I felt it was my responsibility to bring to your attention the following incident.

I have received an invoice for a 'restocking' fee for a cell phone I never authorized nor received. The bill for service had telephone usage that I did not use either. The phone bill was adjusted to zero and referred to the fraud unit as I never had the phone. This company appears on your computer screen for information for cell phone service. You have to provide your address, etc to get the information. I never authorized the service and never responded to the four emails they sent requiring my authorization. Now the company is threatening my credit record if I don't pay them a restocking fee for a phone I did not authorize nor did not receive. I feel this needs your attention to put an end to this.

As a resolution, I would like the following:

Please investigate and prosecute these people for attempting to scam money out of unwilling victims.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like more details regarding this incident.